Friday, October 16, 2009

Response to Nortriptyline and Paroxetine Linked to Level of Neuropsychological Impairment in Patients With Parkinson's Disease: Presented at ANA

The use of nortriptyline and paroxetine in the treatment of depression does not affect cognitive functioning in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD); however, the higher the baseline performance on measures of executive functioning, speed of processing, and verbal memory, the better the response to antidepressant treatment, according to results presented here at the American Neurological Association (ANA) 134th Annual Meeting.

"This is one of the few studies to examine the impact of antidepressant treatment on cognition in PD patients with depression," said Roseanne D. Dobkin, PhD, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey.

More than 1 million people are affected by PD in the United States alone. It is the second most common neurodegenerative disease in the country, said Dr. Dobkin on October 10.

"Depression is one of the most common nonmotor symptoms of PD, affecting as many as half of these patients," she added.

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